Soyl
The world of Soyl is one of fairies, elves, dwarves, and dragons. However, like any fairy tale, the true focus of interest is on humans and their deeds. It would therefore be best to describe the world of Soyl in human terms first. For several centuries now, the dominant power in the world has been the Cildfant Empire. Based out of Kinmonia, its dominion stretches across the seas of the world to lands far and wide, not to mention exotic. However, even as it struggles abroad for territory, it struggles within with its closest neighbors. The Eldyll are a proud people that inhabit the western frontier lands of Kinmonia. The Eldyll once lived all across Kinmonia, but through years of war, they have been pushed nearly to the sea. Many of the Kinmons are arrogant and view the Eldyll as savages. Spurred on by the Halig Sedes and its teachings, not to mention political maneuverings, the Cildfant Empire has declared a divine mandate to conquer the Eldyll lands and "convert" its "savage" inhabitants. Not all of the Kinmons agree with the imperial policy, however. Some have seen the horror of war, and its toll on the innocent, and have become Reformists as a result. That is not to say that the Reformist movement entirely centers around the war. In fact, many Reformists are neutral or favorable to the imperial policy, disagreeing with its impetus perhaps, but not its practical benefits. The Reformist movement is largely due to the Halig Sedes' dealings with its own "flock". The doctrine of "limbo", the ban on laity holding copies of the Libben, and other issues are highly contentious to Reformists, moving them to break away from the Kurio. Some Reformists even go so far as to say that the Ward is actually the Conmeshek of prophecy. It is amidst this atmosphere of political/national strife and religious turmoil that our story takes place, right in the heart of Kinmonia on its western border with the Eldyll lands. Races Celestial spirits Messengers: Dispatched from Sky, from time to time celestial spirits will appear unto men either blazingly in vision or discretely as other helpful men. That kind wise stranger who meets you on the road and gives you some profound and helpful advice might actually be a messenger. Shadows: Turned from The One’s light, these fallen spirits serve to spread darkness over the face of Soyl and are involved to that end in the endeavors of men, dwarves, elves, and all else who might become entrapped in some dark corner away from the light. Truth is their enemy, and the lie their weapon. Chief amongst them is Revelle the Rascal, though not in the sense of "leader" as it is understood by sons of liberty. The Rascal seeks only to enslave and destroy, and all that serve him seek the same. Consumed with self, each shadow longs to be The One. But without the Light, the shadow has no substance–a dim pitiful fate the shadow does not realize. Terrestrial spirits Daemons: Daemons were once muses that followed after the shadows, forsaking their calling of inspiration and instead serving only to mislead. They whisper lies in the ears of men and terrify them with dazzling displays to secure their deception and feast on man’s fear. Like shadows, daemons cower in the dark corners of time and space, making their attack on the spirits of free people in times of stress and vulnerability and places of isolation and darkness. Muses: Muses were made with Soyl as ministering spirits. Like messengers from Sky, muses serve as messengers of Soyl. Muses were made with the children of Elwayae in mind. The One formed them ahead of time to eventually serve to inspire, educate, and entertain men and fay alike as they share the joy of The One and His creation. Sadly, as the world has fallen into shadow,some of the muses have become daemons and muses have had to serve as warriors and guides in the ongoing war between the forces of light and shadow. Sentient creatures Beasts: On rare occasion, for the most curious and mysterious of reasons, some of the oldest beasts in the world gain the power of speech. In the same way that some legendary men have demonstrated the ability to perfectly commune with nature–as perhaps Man did himself in Eternia, these legendary animals have shown their mastery over one or more of the tongues of men. Typically this linguistic power is accompanied by equally impressive physical abilities–as well as what some might call magic. These particular beasts may be friend or foe depending, and–considering the great power these legendary beasts exhibit–any adventurer is wise to hope for the former when encountering these creatures. Dragons: Dragons or the "dragging serpents" are those particular beasts that forsook their place amongst the stars and were subsequently cursed by The One to "drag on" in the world. While their outward form was crafted in the watery abyss of the lord of the sea, their true nature is that of the "falling fire"—the starlight of the heavens. Dragons have long forgotten their destiny and seek only to serve their master—Leviathan—as they await his return. This master is none other than Revelle the Rascal, but dragons know not this name nor the true nature of the one who bears it. Lords of darkness, dragons are pitifully deceived themselves. Dwarves: Crafted by Volcund the muse in his forge of Soyl's deep fires, dwarves were made out of Volcund's great love for the children of Elwayae as sung about in the celestial choir. Working from memory, Volcund made his creations diligently with care, but his work was done without seeking the will of The One. Elwayae came and then asked Volcund to destroy the creations he so diligently crafted, but when the dwarf Asimaf cowered before Volcund’s hammer, Elwayae showed mercy and held Volcund's hand. The One then breathed into the dwarves and took them unto himself as his own children. Thus the dwarves became the oldest of The One's children though not by his hand. Elves: Elves are the descendants of the ancient fay Elvalar. Elvalar's son Lunadén (also Lunadain) along with Gnomekos' son Sún (also Soon) betrayed their fathers, murdering them in a dark magic ritual. The two sacrificed their fathers upon the Stone of Sorrows (as it is called now) in the center of Tholanthier. The ritual harnessed the powers of darkness to draw E'davlan away from the light of the aether and back into the sphere of the realm of men. The isle was thus bent and fractured, and the two treacherous fays left across the sea to return to the realm of men. When they arrived, they were subsequently cursed by Elwayae for their treachery. The two fays with their pixie wives (who were complicit in the whole affair) lost their immortality and were cursed to ever "diminish" in the world. Thus their descendants grew smaller and smaller, explaining the short stature of elves and gnomes today. Fairies: The first of The One’s children, these mysterious people were created in the forest of Eternia, where man was later made. When the he-fay and she-fay deceived their kindred spirit man at the behest of the Rascal, the fays were cursed to ever have enmity with Man. From thenceforth the children of the first two fay have been cursed with an ethereal barrier that keeps them from fully materializing in the realm of men, and men from theirs. Thus fays mostly remain on the isle of E'davlan (which contains the eternal forests) and only rarely leave. When they have, they have appeared as ethereal wisps amongst the forests of men. Fellers: Born shortly before the flood of Vaela. These terrible creatures are the offspring of mountain spirits and the daughters of men. As is told in the tale of that flood "Their jaws were long like dogs, with teeth as sharp as fangs. Their ears were pointed back, their hearing sharp the same. Tall and fearsome, even with their bent beast posture, they stood higher and wider than all the sons of men." It is a bit of a mystery how any survived. Some traditions hold that the mountain spirits preserved their offspring from the deluge–at least some of them–by holing them up in caves. And it is in some of these caves where fellers can be found today. Giants: The exact nature of giants is a mystery. Some believe they are the physical offspring of mountain spirits, like fellers. However, they are certainly larger than fellers, which is why others believe they are the physical incarnation of mountain spirits themselves. Whatever the case, these rare folk are incredibly large and intimidating. And few have ever been known to be friends to the children of men. Like dragons, they seem to be mostly malevolent. Goblins: Before the flood of Vaela, the shadow spread cross the land and touched even the eternal forests. It was there that some of the fairies became enticed and deceived by the Rascal and pledged allegiance to him. These dark servants of Revelle became known as the Shadow Fays. When The One bent the world, all of the loyal fays were drawn up with E’davlan, but only the few of the Shadow Fays remained in Undrehel (Maedb and her minions). The rest remained in the dark places of the world and were further twisted in cruelty by Revelle into the mockery today known as Goblins. Filled with nothing but malice and hate, these violent monstrous beasts have fallen far from their noble origin. Gnomes: While gnomes are largely of the same race and origin as the elves (their "fay kin") there are some notable differences. While elves tend to stay in the woods and concern themselves with the celebration of nature and the study of the stars (who they mistakenly worship as “gods”), gnome culture tends toward the study of how nature can be manipulated. Gnomes take a much more proactive approach to their sciences, crafting wild and weird devices to aid them in their ongoing inquiry into the boundaries and limitations of the physical world. They are much more intrigued with men and their affairs and it’s not entirely rare to see one sneaking into a shoe shop or spying in an alchemist's laboratory. It is largely for this reason that men often confuse elves with gnomes if they ever manage to run into an elf in the woods, for most of the time they have seen or heard about such fay-kin it is usually of the gnome variety. Men: The pinnacle of The One’s creation, these are the last of the children of Elwayae. The first man was made shortly after the first fay and she-fay were created. After man was enticed into eating of the forbidden fruit, he was banished from Eternia and only then was woman formed from man’s heart. Shadow Fays: Those known as Shadow Fays are the ancient fairies that were taken up in E’davlan when the rest of Revelle’s dark servants remained in the realm of men to become goblins. While the Shadow Fays share some similarities in their appearance with goblins (their skin being darkened by shadow and tinted blue by the warmth-less cold of evil), they are drastically different in other ways. The Shadow Fays retained their immortality, while goblins live shorter lives than men. Besides their darkened appearance, Shadow Fays retain the regal features of their fairy birth, while goblins are monstrous mockeries of their ancestors. Between their intellect and their dexterity in battle, Shadow Fays serve their Ice Queen in Undrehel as powerful warriors and a constant threat to their peace-loving kin on the surface of E'davlan. Slavodrac: As told in the tale "Of Dungeons and Dragons", the slavodrac (also known as kobolds) are the descendants of those unfortunate dwarves that were unfortunate enough to become enslaved by dragons in ages long ago. Creatures of malice, these red-skinned dwarves are just as cruel to their own kind as they are to any adventurer who may stumble into one of their dens. They serve as miners and warriors for their dragon masters, building ornate halls and storerooms while guarding their dragon’s hoard. Some of the slavodrac have been known to serve giants instead of dragons, but this is more rare. Werewolves: As briefly mentioned in "The Fairies' Fall and the Rascal’s Ruin", werewolves are the dark offspring of Revelle Incarnate and wolves. These powerful beings are no ordinary wolves. Like their father, they are extremely adept at deception and influencing the minds of men and fay alike. Terribly powerful and fiercely dangerous, werewolves pose an insurmountable threat to all but the bravest of adventurers. On an interesting side-note, some legends hold that the most powerful and ancient of the werewolves were born of Revelle and a great sentient she-wolf named Lilith who was man's dear companion before the Rascal convinced her to leave his service. External links *History and lore (on YACAWA) *NWVault gameworld entry *NWVault module entry